Essie & Bessie Stew 13/325

The Relation

Liz, rocking the finger waves

Liz Schilt, full name Katherine Elizabeth Josephine Weber Schilt, is the fifth eldest of the original descendants. Liz was named after Mama Weber (Elizabeth) and her two sisters, Katherine and Josephine. She married a man by the name of Frank Schilt (outlaw), who would go on to win the congressional medal of honor for some insane and life-risking feats involving the rescue of casualties by flying them strapped to the wings of his plane. He's even got his own Wikipedia article here.

I did try to find out more about Essie and Bessie, but with no results. The elderly twins will remain a mystery (see anecdote at the end of the receipt).

The Process

Another cherry-popping recipe for you all today. Stew is something I have rarely (if ever) eaten, let alone made. The word stew, if I am being candid, is rather unappetizing in itself. But if I'm getting nothing else from this project, it is new experiences.

Layer 1

Alrighty, let's start with the meat. In my head, stew beef was just beef that I would cut up and put in a stew. As I perused the grocery store though, I found a package of cut up meat labeled "stew beef." Was this probably the exact same beef as the un-cut, cheaper option to it's left? Probably. Was I going to risk being wrong? Absolutely not. So I paid the extra dollar and change and bought the "stew beef."

The reason I picked this recipe to make was that I still had a huge supply of potatoes from Roommate Lora's mom, in addition to some leftover celery from the Savory Scalloped Potatoes. Wasting food is a no-go in any household, but I feel like my family especially considers it a cardinal sin. Every time my dad (George>Gertrude>Henry>Zean) visits me, the first thing he asks is "what needs to be eaten?"

New dish, who dis?

My interpretation of "in layers" was to do two layers of each ingredient. I went with potatoes, onions, meat, then carrots. Then repeat. Notice something is missing?

I FORGOT THE FREAKING CELERY. I have done a lot of stupid things in my life... but this is a whole new level. The whole reason for me making this stew was to use it up and here I am, just making the recipe without it!!! Okay, rant over. Honestly, as I think about it, the pan was already almost full with the rest of the ingredients. Celery would have made it overflow. I actually had to swap pans halfway through layering (which entirely messed up my perfectly crafted layers, but I'll get over it).

I really made an effort to seal the aluminum foil tightly around the edges of the pan, but the pan's edges are wavy so it was pretty hard. If I did it again, I'd probably try harder. Anyways, I popped her into the oven and did all sorts of adult, productive things for the next 5 hours.

No celery in sight

The Feedback

Not to brag or anything, but this is the best (only) stew I have ever made. Seriously though, it was super delicious. I found that the beef was a little bit on the dry side, but besides that, it has excellent color and flavor. My Very Pregnant Boss was the only person besides myself to taste this stew. This really only happened because I was eating the leftovers for lunch and she caught a whiff of it. So, note to you all that this stew has an irresistible scent. Be wary of bringing it to work!

The Receipt

ESSIE & BESSIE STEW      CC80
Liz Schilt+

2 lbs stew beef, cubed
6 carrots, cut in pieces
8 medium potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced but not too thin

Put above ingredients in 9x13x2-inch pan in layers. Mix together 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and 1 cup tomato juice or sauce. Pour over meat and vegetables. Seal with foil and bake at 250° for 5 hours, more or less.

This recipe originated in Olney and was published by the Daily Mail years ago. Its authors are delightful senior citizen twins. One lives on Boone Street two blocks north of Gertie’s. We called on her the last time I was in Olney, but I don’t know if it was Essie or Bessie.